A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to domestic appliances, such as refrigeration appliances of the demountable or so-called knockdown type which can be shipped as separate panels or modules to a desired location and then assembled into the final domestic appliance. Specifically, the invention is directed to an interlocking and sealing arrangement for such panels which permits ready assembly thereof by unskilled personnel without the use of separate fastening means.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A number of arrangements have been heretofore proposed, both in the refrigeration art and elsewhere, wherein a demountable or knockdown construction is employed so that the appliance may be shipped disassembled to a desired location and then assembled into a desired finished product. Arrangements of this type in the refrigeration art are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,127,111; 2,502,581; 2,507,379; 2,509,779; 2,521,064; 2,535,682; 3,392,497 and 4,358,213.
All of the above arrangements are quite complicated in construction and are not particularly suitable for use in the domestic appliance field when assembly by the ultimate customer is contemplated. Furthermore, these refrigeration arrangements typically require the use of tools and/or separate fastening and sealing means, which adds to the complexity of such arrangements and renders them more difficult to assemble by unskilled personnel.
A number of other arrangements outside the refrigeration field have employed various types of interlocking joints for demountable furniture, and the like. However, these arrangements are again quite complicated, usually require a multiplicity of small parts and separate fastening means, and are not particularly suitable for use in the domestic appliance field, particularly when assembly by the ultimate customer is contemplated. Examples of such demountable constructions outside the refrigeration art are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 305,286; 409,893; 419,920; 582,005; 1,534,468; 2,496,184; 3,565,903; 3,674,328; 3,722,157; 3,995,922; 4,019,298; 4,127,353 and 4,408,812.